PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Mubbashar

Publications and source records attributed to M Mubbashar.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

The prevalence, classification and treatment of mental disorders among attenders of native faith healers in rural Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Although native faith healers are found in all parts of Pakistan, where they practice in harmony with the cultural value system, their practice is poorly understood. This study investigated the prevalence, classification and treatment of mental disorders among attenders at faith healers. METHOD: The work of faith healers with 139 attenders was observed and recorded. The mental status of attenders was assessed using a two-stage design: screening using the General Health Questionnaire followed by diagnostic interview using the Psychiatric Assessment Schedule. RESULTS: The classification used by faith healers is based on the mystic cause of disorders: saya (27%), jinn possession (16%) or churail (14%). Sixty-one percent of attenders were given a research diagnosis of mental disorder: major depressive episode (24%), generalized anxiety disorder (15%) or epilepsy (9%). There was little agreement between the faith healers' classification and DSM-IIIR diagnosis. Faith healers use powerful techniques of suggestion and cultural psychotherapeutic procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Faith healers are a major source of care for people with mental health problems in Pakistan, particularly for women and those with little education. Further research should assess methods of collaboration that will permit people with mental health problems to access effective and culturally appropriate treatment.

Female↗
PubMed2000

Developing child mental health services in developing countries.

There is an urgent need to pay attention to the mental health of children in developing countries. Professionals confronted with this task face a number of challenges. Services have to be planned in a rational way, keeping in mind the needs of local populations. These needs will often exceed the available resources, and it will be necessary to set priorities. Feasible and cost-effective models of service delivery then have to be developed to meet these needs. This annotation provides a framework within which mental health needs of children can be assessed, priorities established, and services organised. This is illustrated with examples of relevant activities undertaken in low-income developing countries over the last two decades.

Child↗
PubMed2000

Integration of mental health care into primary care. Demonstration cost-outcome study in India and Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Targeting resources on cost-effective care strategies is important for the global mental health burden. AIMS: To demonstrate cost-outcome methods in the evaluation of mental health care programmes in low-income countries. METHOD: Four rural populations were screened for psychiatric morbidity. Individuals with a diagnosed common mental disorder were invited to seek treatment, and assessed prospectively on symptoms, disability, quality of life and resource use. RESULTS: Between 12% and 39% of the four screened populations had a diagnosable common mental disorder. In three of the four localities there were improvements over time in symptoms, disability and quality of life, while total economic costs were reduced. CONCLUSION: Economic analysis of mental health care in low-income countries is feasible and practicable. Our assessment of the cost-effectiveness of integrating mental health into primary care was confounded by the naturalistic study design and the low proportion of subjects using government primary health care services.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The pathways to psychiatric care: a cross-cultural study.

This paper describes the referral pathways taken by 1554 patients newly referred to the mental health services in 11 countries, and documents factors associated with delays in referral. The pathways in centres relatively well provided with psychiatric staff were dominated by general practitioners and to a lesser extent hospital doctors: the relatively less well resourced centres showed a variety of pathways with native healers often playing an important part. Delays were remarkably short in all centres regardless of psychiatric resources, but in some centres we found longer delays on pathways involving native healers. Somatic problems were a common presentation in all centres, and in some centres there was a tendency for patients presenting with somatic problems to have longer delays than those with symptoms of depression or anxiety. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of an ongoing programme of WHO research activities aimed at improving the quality of mental illness care available in community settings.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Opium use in two communities of Pakistan ---a preliminary comparison of rural and urban patterns.

Interviews were conducted to clarify drug use patterns and characteristics of opium users in two communities. Because of the small number of subjects selected from only two communities, the results are not representative of the country as a whole. Nevertheless, in the city of Rawalpindi 90 users were studied and found to have a mean daily opium consumption of 0.9 grams at a cost of Rs. 1.00 ($US 0.10). Opium was taken by mouth once or twice daily. They were solitary users who first used opium as adults, most often for self-treatment of health disorders. The majority were employed males with no history of criminality. In the rural opium-producing village, 28 users were interviewed. They smoked opium three or four times a day in a social setting and reported a mean daily consumption of 11 grams. They were more likely to use the drug for its social and pleasure effects and to have addicts as close friends. The high dose was associated with adverse effects on work performance and with more severe withdrawal symptoms. The findings suggest different intervention strategies for the two populations.

Adult↗